The 2013 edition of the Mutua Madrid Open takes place from May 3-12 at the La Caja Mágica or "Magic Box" in English.

Gone is the experimental blue clay of last year as the ATP decided it would not be allowed. Brad Drewett had said in a statement, "I very much believe in innovation and exploring ways to enhance our sport. While the blue clay may have offered better visibility on television, there were clearly issues with the quality of the courts in Madrid this year, which were not acceptable at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, one of our top events worldwide.".

So the blue clay has been replaced with the "rare" red earth clay. They have already prepared it as the IOC Evaluation Commission has been making their inspection rounds of Olympic sites for the 2020 Olympics. Manolo Santana received the IOC members and here are a few pictures:

Las mejores pistas de tierra batida del mundo - The best clay courts in the worldAfter six months of hard work, the Caja Mágica courts are now ready to receive the best players in the world ahead of the Mutua Madrid Open. Changing all the courts was a long and exhaustive process, with all of the venue's courts (three indoor and fourteen outdoor) needing to be excavated and rebuilt from scratch. The blood, sweat and tears have been worth it though, as the Caja Mágica can now boast having some of the best courts in the world.

At the end of last year’s edition of the tournament the organisers of the Mutua Madrid Open decided to revamp all of the Caja Mágica courts. The first step was to assess the state of the terrain for the outdoor courts. After a detailed analysis, the Mutua Madrid Open technicians and engineers considered that the courts have to be entirely rebuild.

Knowing the characteristics of the terrain and the water level (which turned out to be higher than previously thought), a plan to develop and build a new drainage system was drawn up, focused on improving the filtration of water and thus eliminating the problem of crust forming and create a slippery surface.

The goal at all times was to build world-class courts, that would live up to prestige the Mutua Madrid Open holds. To this end, the best quality material has been employed.

The refurbishment of the courts began last September, with all three of the Caja Mágica´s stadiums and the fourteen outdoor courts having to be closed down during the construction. The most laborious part of the work took place on the outdoor courts. The first step of the project was to remove all the layers of the existing courts, to dig ditches of more than 1 meter deep into the gypsum layer to ensure the perfect waterproofing. The first layer of drainage consists of 30 centimetres of gravel, on which a further 10 centimetres of volcanic stone was added (that was extracted from quarries in Ciudad Real) with the grain size varying between 6 and 12 centimetres.

The court surface was constructed of Craon limestone that was extracted from a quarry north of Paris, in the Oise River area, the same quarry that has traditionally been used to supply the material for the best courts in the world. A total of 1,800 tons have been extracted from Craon (between 80 and 100 tonnes for each of the courts, depending on the size).

This material, of the same quality that is used in the most renowned courts on the international circuit, was considered to be the best choice for the Mutua Madrid Open tournament, due to the fact that in combination with the volcanic rock (which is very permeable and can absorb more moisture) can ensure the ideal conditions. On this basis, the builders spread a 10 centimetre layer of Craon (6 inches after compacting it), which is known as a “tablet”, the court surface. This “tablet” was finally covered with gravel, namely, “clay”, also a natural material.

The Caja Mágica’s new courts are waiting for the best players in the world. The creation of these new courts has been the fruit of a lot of hard work from a lot of people, who will get their pay off on the 12th of May when not just the Mutua Madrid Open winners, but also the fans, will see that they are indeed the best courts in the world.

These clay courts will also pay host to non-professional players from the ATP and WTA circuits, who throughout the year, until the beginning of the 2014 Mutua Madrid Open, can enjoy the Club Deportivo Caja Mágica facilities.

After winning the Madrid Spaces and Congress public tender last July, the Mutua Madrid Open now manages Club Deportivo Caja Mágica and thus, all the venue’s courts. Thus, the Mutua Madrid Open has undertaken a project that will keep the Caja Mágica busy throughout the year. This is a low cost club that is open to the public, and offers the best tennis experience in Spain.

The Club Deportivo Caja Mágica is now functioning on indoor courts, which have enjoyed an 80% occupancy rate since November 2012. It is not just a venue where professionals can come to develop their games on the country’s best courts, but it is also a leisure centre that welcomes neighborhood children who do not have easy access to this sport. These children will, from now on, discover free tennis thanks to the Club Deportivo Caja Mágica, which will hold sessions for them.

That's the type that RG and Rome use. That's why I was curious about whether it's the same or not. Because it doesn't seem like they would call red clay rare, since it's the predominant type of European clay.

But I still thought the players (at least the ones who didn't win) -- had a problem with the altitude here in Madrid as well? I know they had a problem with the 'blue' clay, but isn't Madrid at an altitude that isn't like the French Open? Or did I dream that?

Sir Alex, aside from having Nadal in his quarter or half, Djokovic has the toughest draw. But he might get a bit fortunate as Stan is playing in the Portugal final today, and has no bye to rest, probably playing Tuesday. He could be tuckered out by the time he has to play Nole, assuming Nole gets by Grigor.

Ferrer got the fuzzy end of the lollipop with Nadal in his quarter.

Federer has a good chance to make the semis if he returns from his 2 month layoff with some good form.

Murray would have a great draw if it were hard court. But it's clay, so there is probably no easy draw for him.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Daniel Gimeno-Traver make it out of his section to face Federer.

Sharapova said the new red clay courts are very slow and deep from the cold wet weather Madrid had recently.But the forecast calls for sunny and warm weather during the next few days, so I expect conditions to get better.

Masterclass, I'd say Djokovic has a tricky draw but I'm pretty confident that nobody will really bother him. Rafa's draw is the bigest joke ever. All Spaniards who are more than happy to bend over for him are in his half